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Aja Dorrance
Dr. Aja Dorrance is a character that began in a story called Marshall City, but was later brought into the story, Harpers Falls. She was originally played on a contract basis by actress Jaclyn Betham, best known for her role as the mentally unstable Amanda Cryer on the series, The Haves and the Have Nots; but when Jaclyn decided to not renew her contract, she was aged slightly and was cast with UK actress Sophie McShera, best known for her role of Assistant Cook, Daisy Robinson Mason, on the recently completed series, Downton Abbey. "Playing a doctor is a lot more difficult than it was playing an assistant cook," Sophie grinned, "but Albert became such a huge Downton fan, and at times, he could well get annoyed with Daisy when she began on the show. But as she grew, so did his respect for her. When I took over the role of Aja, he wrote into the story about how she was an excellent cook, a little bit of Daisy history. While I think I would love to work again with my beloved Lesley (Nicol, Mrs. Amberson), I don't know if that will work, although with Albert's imagination and his way with a story, you never can tell." Sweet-natured Shrink Born in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, Aja had moved to Marshall City, Connecticut when she was about six years old. She attended school in Marshall City, and became a part of the town and its often cliquey social circles, being close with the Ames and McAllister families. Aja considered psychiatry as a life choice and as a job which she hopes she can work at. Upon realizing that she could not go to school at Yale, she took her dreams and ambitions to Tufts University in Boston. She enrolled at the Medical School and is working to get her psychiatric credentials. She already has a good start at being a psychiatrist. She has a good manner and she is also very sympathetic. As she became more entrenched in the Boston area, she also made friends, most notably Serena Gerber and Joliette Manning who in turn introduced her to perhaps her biggest contact yet, Anyssa Harper Forson. With the powerful Anyssa in her corner, Aja is assured to become someone, because of her friendship with the Harpers. She went on a sabbatical in London (which explains the recast with Sophie McShera), learning everything she could, and even getting an education in British psychiatry. This makes her more well rounded. While in London, she visited Michelle Harper; and her new girlfriend, Prudence Baxter; which solidifies her into the Harper circle in a big way! She also learned to cook with some classes at Le Cordon Bleu's London branch. Upon her return, she discovered that her time in London helped her graduate with honors on her class. She later gained her credentials and she is now a psychiatrist. She works with Alicia Mannington and is very good at what she does. Besides her work as a psychiatrist, she is also an excellent cook. She does a lot of work at soup kitchens, and also works hard to make dinner for her friends. She has a dinner for most of the medical people she knows and it is a lot of fun. She has also been helping Shirley Amberson, one of the housekeepers at Dylan's townhouse, with cooking. This way, Mrs. Amberson can help Anitra Hollis with shouldering the burden of the kitchen. Through this, Aja and Mrs. Amberson have become true friends. Category:Characters Category:Harper family allies Category:Medical characters